Hapoel Beersheba edges Red Star Belgrade to take Champions League qualifying lead

Zahi Ahmed scored the only goal of the match to give the Southern Reds hope heading into the return leg next week in Serbia to advance to the playoff round.

Should Beersheba advance to the playoff round, it will face the winner of the Sabah vs Aarhus matchup, with a victory sending the Southern Reds to the Champions League league phase and a loss dropping them to the league phase of the Europa League.

On Tuesday at the Haladás Sportkomplexum in Szombathely, Hungary, Ron Kozuk’s squad played Red Star toe-to-toe as the match got underway with the Southern Reds making sure to keep the Serbian side’s potent offense under control.

As the game moved along, Beersheba’s high pressure helped Red Star commit a turnover right in front of its goal that Ahmed pounced on as the striker put the ball past Matheus Magalhaes to give the Israeli side a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute.

With Beersheba nursing the slim lead, Matan Baltaxa was issued a pair of quick yellow cards on the same play and was sent off in the 58th minute, leaving the Reds with 10 men for more than 30 minutes. However, as tough as the challenge was down the stretch, Beersheba was able to hang on thanks to ’keeper Ofir Marciano, as well as a stellar defensive display, to take the lead into the second leg going into next week’s game.

“This is only the first half,” Kozuk began. “We will need to play a super talented team at their home stadium next week. The guys really focused hard and kept to the game plan, which became even more difficult after we had a player sent off. Zahi has been terrific for the past couple of seasons, and he gives so much heart and leaves it all on the pitch. He deserves a huge amount of credit. Now we are heading to one of the toughest stadiums in Europe, but we will do our utmost to advance to the next round. I’m certain that it won’t be a simple task and that we will have to give it our all; however, this is the biggest dream, and I hope that we will be able to achieve it.”

Red Star coach Dejan Stankovic admitted after the match that his side struggled.

“We’ll have to break them down in Belgrade. It wasn’t our best day, and it certainly wasn’t our best performance. I expected them to be aggressive and well-organized, and I don’t know how much that affected my players. I’m the one who decides on the tactics and the lineup, so the responsibility is entirely mine. I expect us to show in the return match that we’ve learned how they play. They’re a team that constantly plays on the edge of committing fouls, and if we can’t match their aggression, it’ll be difficult for us in Belgrade as well.”

On Thursday, three other Israeli teams will begin third-round qualification play in their respective competitions.

In addition, Beitar Jerusalem will take on Austria Wien in the first leg of third-round Conference League qualifying in Ploiesti, Romania, and should it advance to the playoff round, it will match up against the winner of the Braga vs Dinamo Minsk tie for a spot in the league phase.

Also, Hapoel Tel Aviv will feature in the third round of the Conference League, where it will play Katowice in a two-legged tie. Should Hapoel make it past the Polish team, it will match up against Italian Serie A powerhouse Atalanta in the playoff round for a place in the league phase.